Eelis Parssinen is having one of the most dominant summers in recent 2026 World Series of Poker history. The Finnish high-stakes crusher captured his third WSOP bracelet on June 25, topping a 214-player field in the $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em and Pot-Limit Omaha mixed event at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. The win earned Parssinen $1,172,296 and cemented his place as Finland’s greatest poker tournament player ever.
What makes this third WSOP bracelet run so remarkable is the pace at which Parssinen has been collecting hardware. Just six days earlier, on June 19, he took down the $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha event for $2,270,000 and his second career bracelet. Two titles, two 2026 World Series of Poker bracelets, less than a week apart — it’s the kind of run that separates legends from the field.
How Eelis Parssinen Dominated the $25K NLH/PLO Field
The $25,000 NLH/PLO mixed event drew 214 entries, generating a $5,029,000 prize pool with the top 33 spots paid. Parssinen entered the third and final day sitting fifth in chips, with Finnish compatriot Juha Helppi holding the overall lead. From that position, Parssinen methodically navigated a final table stacked with elite tournament talent, dispatching big names and surviving multiple critical moments on his way to a third WSOP bracelet.
Final Table Results — 2026 WSOP $25K NLH/PLO Mixed Event
| Place | Player | Payout | POY Points | PGT Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eelis Parssinen | $1,172,296 | 1,260 | 700 |
| 2 | Juha Helppi | $781,500 | 1,050 | 469 |
| 3 | Sean Winter | $540,754 | 840 | 324 |
| 4 | Edward Leonard | $381,950 | 630 | 229 |
| 5 | Sergio Martinez Gonzalez | $275,509 | 525 | 165 |
| 6 | AP Louis Garza | $203,041 | 420 | 122 |
| 7 | Daniel Negreanu | $152,954 | 315 | 92 |
| 8 | Dylan Linde | $117,835 | 210 | 71 |
Key Hands and Moments on the Road to a Third WSOP Bracelet
Dylan Linde Runs Into Quads
The final table lost Dylan Linde — a three-time bracelet winner — in an early cooler. Linde’s single-suited pocket queens collided with Edward Leonard’s double-suited pocket queens. The flop delivered two queens, giving Leonard quads and leaving Linde drawing dead by the turn. A brutal way to exit, but the nature of NLH/PLO mixed play makes these situations unavoidable.
Negreanu Logs His Biggest Score of the 2026 WSOP
Daniel Negreanu arrived at the final table as a short stack but made history as the first player to surpass $25 million in career WSOP earnings earlier in the summer. His run ended in seventh place during a PLO hand where he held the nut flush draw and a low straight draw on a J♦9♠3♦6♠ board. Helppi’s pocket tens held on the 3♣ river, sending Negreanu out with $152,954 — his largest payout of the 2026 World Series of Poker. Negreanu’s overall tournament earnings now exceed $57.4 million across his career.
Parssinen Pulls Off a 2% Runner-Runner Miracle
The most dramatic hand of the tournament came four-handed. Edward Leonard flopped the nut flush on an A♦K♦4♦ board holding Q♦J♠, while Parssinen held top pair with A♥Q♥. Leonard was a near 98% favorite to double up at that point. But the Q♣ on the turn gave Parssinen a glimmer of hope at roughly 7%, and the A♠ on the river completed a runner-runner full house to send Leonard to the rail in fourth place. It was the pivotal hand of the entire tournament — a miracle card that kept Parssinen’s third WSOP bracelet chase alive.
Heads-Up Battle: Parssinen vs. Helppi
Parssinen began heads-up play against Helppi holding a 5:3 chip advantage, but the match turned into a genuine war. Helppi rallied, doubled up multiple times across both games, and briefly took the lead before Parssinen reasserted control. With more than a 2:1 chip advantage, Parssinen put the tournament away when the chips went in preflop — his A♠K♣J♣5♠ against Helppi’s J♥J♦9♥8♦. The flop brought A♣K♠8♣ for top two pair and the nut flush draw for Parssinen. The 10♣ turn locked it up, leaving Helppi drawing dead. The 8♠ river completed the board, and Parssinen had his third WSOP bracelet.
Helppi earned a career-best $781,500 for the runner-up finish — a consolation prize softened only slightly by the fact that he was denied an equal share in Finnish poker history.
Who Is Eelis Parssinen? Finland’s Greatest WSOP Bracelet Winner
Eelis Parssinen is a 37-year-old Finnish poker professional who has built a reputation as one of the world’s most dangerous players in both NLH and PLO. His 2026 World Series of Poker dominance is not a fluke — heading into the summer, Parssinen had already accumulated nearly $7.8 million in earnings across 19 cashes, with nine final-table finishes and three titles. That total alone accounts for roughly a third of his career prize money haul of over $23.8 million.
Parssinen’s first WSOP bracelet came in 2021 in a $5,000 NLH/PLO mixed event — the same format as his third. His ability to compete at the highest level across two complex game types is what sets him apart, and his comments after the win reflected that perspective.
“The more that I think about it, I probably value this one more than the $25K PLO since I play both games. Here, you have to be good enough at both. It’s unbelievable. I can’t find words right now,” said Parssinen after claiming his third WSOP bracelet.
With this victory, Parssinen became the first Finnish player in history to own three WSOP bracelets, breaking his tie with two-time winner Juha Helppi — the very man he beat heads-up to claim the title.
POY and PGT Standings After the Third WSOP Bracelet
The third WSOP bracelet came with 1,260 Card Player Player of the Year points, pushing Parssinen’s 2026 POY total to 6,081. That places him third in the current standings behind Alex Foxen (6,759) and Brandon Wilson (6,715).
On the PokerGO Tour rankings — a circuit built around high-stakes events — Parssinen’s 700-point haul from this win catapulted him into the outright lead with 1,691 total PGT points. He sits just ahead of Yuri Dzivielevski (1,602) and Sean Winter (1,575), who finished third in this event for his 11th PGT-qualified score of the year.
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Other Notable Finishers in the 2026 WSOP $25K Mixed Event
The 2026 World Series of Poker continues to draw elite fields at every high buy-in event. This $25K NLH/PLO mixed tournament was no exception. Four-time bracelet winners Joao Vieira and Chance Kornuth both cashed, as did eight-time winners Nick Schulman and Michael Mizrachi. Dan Smith, Naoya Kihara, Maurice Hawkins, Nick Pupillo, and Cary Katz all made deep runs before being eliminated just outside the final table.
AP Louis Garza — who won this exact event in 2025 — fell one spot short of a title defense, busting in sixth when Helppi rivered the nut straight to end his comeback bid. Sean Winter continued his remarkable 2026 WSOP run with a third-place finish here, following a third in the $25K NLH six-max and a fourth in the $250,000 super high roller.
2026 World Series of Poker: Trends and Takeaways
Eelis Parssinen’s third WSOP bracelet adds to a growing list of storylines at the 2026 World Series of Poker that has featured record prize pools, milestone achievements, and a new generation of elite high-stakes regulars dominating the open field. The NLH/PLO mixed format — once a niche offering — has grown into one of the most prestigious stops on the schedule, attracting the deepest rosters of any non-Main Event tournament.
Parssinen’s back-to-back wins across different disciplines underscore a broader shift in high-stakes poker: the most dangerous players are no longer specialists. They are complete, adaptable, and relentless — equally at home with a single table of hold’em chips or a multi-street PLO hand. His third WSOP bracelet is proof of that.
Quick Facts: Eelis Parssinen — 2026 WSOP $25K NLH/PLO Win
- Event: $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em / Pot-Limit Omaha Mixed
- Series: 2026 World Series of Poker
- Venue: Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas
- Date: June 25, 2026
- Entries: 214
- Prize Pool: $5,029,000
- Winner: Eelis Parssinen
- Payout: $1,172,296
- Bracelet Count: 3rd career WSOP bracelet (2nd of 2026)
- Runner-Up: Juha Helppi ($781,500)
- POY Points Earned: 1,260
- PGT Points Earned: 700
- Current PGT Ranking: 1st (1,691 points)
Conclusion
Eelis Parssinen’s third WSOP bracelet at the 2026 World Series of Poker is one of the defining moments of this year’s series. Two bracelets in six days. Two $25,000 buy-in events. Over $3.4 million in winnings across back-to-back titles. The Finnish poker professional has elevated his legacy beyond any debate — he is among the most accomplished and dangerous high-stakes tournament players on the planet right now. As the 2026 World Series of Poker continues, all eyes will be on whether Parssinen can add more to an already historic summer.
